So much For peace
by Origins89
Summary: While Kratos and Lloyd are exploring the new world, They're attacked by a group of soldiers. Events unravel after that. What will happen to Lloyd now! Find Out in Chapter 5!
1. Chapter 1

I was riding home in the car with my dad, playin 'Final Fantasy Tactics: Advanced' when this idea struck me. I thought it was a good, so here goes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does. Lucky!

Chapter 1

The sun was beginning to rise, welcoming a new spring day. Birds being roused from their sleep by hungry chicks trilled in the morning sunlight. Flowers openned their petals, revealing a menagery of color to all who saw them. the entire land was at peace.

almost.

"Lloyd, wake up." The young Eternal Swordsman, the hero who defeated Cruxis and reunited the two worlds, the revivor of the great tree, lay on top of a sleeping bag, his short brown hair a mess, and a snot bubble coming in and out of his nose as he snored loud enough to drown out the birdsong.

Kratos put a hand to his head. He wore his usual atire, a purple sleeveless shirt and pants, with two pieces of cloth covering his shoulders. His hair was still reddish-orange, but had been trimmed down, to the point that it was only slightly longer than Lloyd's. He didn't mind it in his eyes, but since the rejoining of the two worlds, he had wanted to put his past behind him and move on.

Moving, however, was something Lloyd didn't intend on doing anytime soon. "Lloyd! wake up!" Kratos said, nudging him with his foot. Lloyd moved over, out of range of the foot, and continued to sleep. _Was I ever this lazy?_ he thought to himself, watching a moth hovering around Lloyd's open mouth.

Recalling what his companions from the Kharlan war said about him, an idea struck him. It had always worked on himself, so maybe it would work here. Drawing out his sword, he slowly placed the cold steel tip under his son's chin.

It worked like a charm. Lloyd came instantly awake, his eyes snapping open, (and the snot bubble popping) as he looked towards the person threatening his life. What he found was Kratos standing over him, laughing, (in itself, a rarity) as he sheathed his sword.

"Wh-what was that for!" the youth demanded, sitting up and rubbing his chin, as if to check for bleeding. Kratos, smiling now, shook his head before replying. "I was testing to see how you'd react to a night attack." This was a little off of the truth, but he didn't want to tell him that Mithos used to pull the same trick on himself.

Lloyd, as oblivious as ever, seemed to take this as the truth. "Oh, uh... ok" he said, pulling on his trademark jacket and building up the previous night's fire. After a light breakfast, wards, he went over to his pack and pulled out a map of the new world of Symphonia. It wasn't complete yet, there were still spots that were blank, but they were filling them in as they went.

Kratos sat beside him to look at the map as well. They had started in Iselia, which was in the northeast corner, and had moved south towards Triet. From there, they had borrowed rheiards from Yuan and flown to the Linkite Tree, where New Mizuho was being set up. They had stayed for a few days, helping with the construction and catching up with Sheena.

After returning the rheiards, LLoyd had wanted to visit Genis and Raine, who were in Heimdall, helping with the reconstruction. They were also still busy on their quest to end discrimination, and had set up headquarters in the Elder's house, which had been expanded. Most of the villagers viewed them as honorary citizens, because of the journey they went through as well as participating in the rebulding.

At the moment, Kratos and Lloyd were west of Heimdall, and moving towards Luin. They planned on seeing how the rebuilding was going, then move on to Altamira to see Regal and Presea. Genis, (blushing as he usually did when Presea came up in anything), had given Lloyd a letter addressed to her. Even though he was dying to, Lloyd hadn't openned it out of respect for his best friend's wishes. Kratos had caught him holding it in front of the fire on more than one occasion, though, trying to see what was written through the envelop.

"Well, let's get going." Kratos said, standing up and shouldering his pack. Lloyd followed suit, though grumbling. He was not a morning person. "Why do we have to walk everywhere?" he asked. Kratos shook his head again, then started trudging off, Lloyd at his side. "Walking builds discipline and patience, something you still need to develop." he said, glancing over his shoulder at Lloyd. "riding to everyplace on Noishe or the rheiards would take less time, but you wouldn't gain anything from it. Besides, we wouldn't be able to train together as much."

Kratos had been teaching Lloyd how to use simple magic attacks, like first aid and fireball. It was a little more complicated than when he learned them, because Lloyd insisted on being taught with two swords, instead of the recomended one. Twice, he had nearly set his own hair on fire.

With the new pair of wings he had aqcuired upon reviving the great tree, Lloyd had also become interested in the angelic arts. These were easier, as the spells didn't change, no matter who used them. He had already mastered Angel feathers and was working on Judgement at the moment. Kratos was pleased with the effort Lloyd put into the lessons, but worried that he would overexert himself before the journey was through.

"well, that's true, I guess," Lloyd said, glancing over to the big dog-like creature that trotted beside them. Noishe had been Kratos' faithful companion for over four thousand years, and had stayed with Lloyd as he grew up. Now that both Kratos and Lloyd were together, the Protozoan seemed happier than ever, frisking about them constantly. watching him play in the morning sun seemed to lighten Lloyd's mood, and he smiled as they walked towards Luin.

They had been traveling for a few hours when Kratos began to get a funny feeling about the woods around him. Pausing for a moment, he listened hard. Lloyd stopped also, and looked at him quizzically. "what's wrong?" he asked.

"Listen. Do you hear anything?" asked Kratos, his hand reaching for his sword. Lloyd cocked an ear, and the eerie silence of the surrounding forest hit him instantly. drawing out the Flamberge, a sword of fire given to him by Kratos, he scanned the trees for signs of an ambush. using his intensified hearing, he heard the sound of leaves rustling under heavy boots.

"Fighters," cursed Lloyd, drawing out the match to the Flamberge, an Ice sword called the Vorpal. Listening again, he was able to count how many there were. "six of them."

"Seven. one's up in that tree over to your left," corrected Kratos, standing stock still as he assesed the situation. They could easily take a few at a time, but if all seven attacked at once. . .

"we need to call them out, get an idea of their strength," he said, glancing at Lloyd. Lloyd nodded. "May I do the honors?" he said, joking around like he did in situations like this. Kratos smirked, and nodded. Lloyd rose to his full height, and yelled out into the surrounding woods "hey, you bastards! why are you sneaking around like rabbits from a wolf? come out where we can see you!" Kratos shook his head in amazement. Lloyd definitely had a good idea of what to say to enrage enemies.

From behind trees and bushes, seven fighters came rushing out, surrounding the two swordsmen. Each had the same black armor, with red patterns embossed on the breast plate. they all had the same weapon, a double-ended sword with the same red markings on both blades.

One of them, who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward and pointed his blade at the 'prisoners'. "are you Lloyd Irving and Kratos Aurion?" he asked, in a voice full of anger. _He must have been really riled up by Lloyd,_ Kratos thought.

"Give me your name, and I shall give you mine." Lloyd said, smirking. He had always liked that line.

"I am KazanJian, Captain of the guard of my master. You do not need to know my master's name, for it will be known to you eventually," the Captain said. "My master has ordered you two to be captured. You will come peacefully, or will suffer the consiquences." As he had been talking, Lloyd and Kratos had been silently building up mana, preparing a spell. they each knew what the other would do, having traveled together for quite some time. A glance between them told each other that they were ready.

Too late, KazanJian felt the built up mana, and before he could shout a warning, they both unleashed it! "ANGEL FEATHERS!" they cried, and disks of light erupted from their bodies, smacking straight into the soldiers. KazanJian was floored, along with four of his men, completely knocked out. The other two had managed to stay upright, but were knocked out by two consecutive demon fangs.

"Well, that was fun," Lloyd said, sheathing his swords and dusting off his hands. When Kratos didn't respond, he looked over at him. Kratos was staring at the design on one of the soldier's armor. A voice inside his head told him he'd seen it before. _I know this from_ _somewhere,_ he thought, racking his brains to find the solution. His thoughts were jarred, however, by Lloyd placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Dad, are you alright?" Lloyd asked, a look of concern on his face.

Bringing himself back from his reverie, Kratos whistled for Noishe, who had run off somewhere. "I think we should skip Luin for now," he said, glancing around. "We need to find the others, make sure they weren't attacked. Then, we can sort out what's going on."

Lloyd nodded. Just then, Noishe came running up to meet them. He looked at them almost questioningly at the sight of the men lying knocked out on the ground. "Don't worry, they won't be coming after us for a while," Lloyd said, climbing up onto his back.

Kratos pulled his wings out and flew straight up, so he could view the land for a good distance. Lloyd waited for him to return, which wasn't long. "the closest place to us right now is Altamira, north of here," Kratos said, pointing in the direction they should take. "It should take us about a day and a half to get there, so we'll be traveling through the night."

Lloyd nodded. pointed Noishe in the right direction, and took of through the trees, with Kratos flying overhead.

Well, there you go! I didn't have Lloyd flying at the end as well because he's just getting used to this angel power, while Kratos has had 4,000 years to get used to it. Also, Noishe would get lonely. you know the drill people, Please R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Not as many people reviewed as I'd hoped. But, I'm new, so it's ok! Anyway, here's the new chapter!

Vocalsama: thanks for the kind words! …That really sounded corny. Oh well. Glad you liked it!

GameCubeGirl1: Sorry to disappoint ya, but there'll be a few fluffy scenes. As the genre states, however, this'll be more action than fluff. Whew!

Mooncannon: there'll be a little bit of coupling. Basic couples apply (Colloyd, Sheelos, Gesea, maybe some Kraine.) as for action, well…just wait and see!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does. Lucky!

Chapter 2

Altamira was definitely not one of Kratos' favorite places to be. The "gaudy resort," as Sheena had called it, always gave him a long-lasting headache. With the current situation over their heads, however, he decided he could tolerate the place for a while.

They arrived in Altamira in the late afternoon, the day after the ambush. Lloyd was fascinated with all the bright lights and noises, and eagerly wanted to go check out the amusement park. Kratos just kept walking, and Lloyd, grudgingly, hurried to catch up, nearly knocking over a few people in his haste.

After going to the hotel to reserve the pent house, ( Regal had given them all special discounts, which lowered the price a lot) Kratos and Lloyd went to the Lazereno Company Headquarters to meet with Regal and Presea. Upon arriving, they gave their names to the receptionists, who told them to wait in the Lobby.

After waiting for a while, Lloyd asked a question that had been bugging him ever since the fight. "Who do you think that KazanJian guy was talking about?" Lloyd said, keeping his voice low so that only Kratos could hear him. Kratos closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. "I don't know. What we do know is that they knew we were coming, so they most likely have people watching us." Glancing over, he watched Lloyd Look around the Lobby, as if expecting to see a shadowy character lurking behind a column.

Their conversation was interrupted by a deep, loud voice. "Lloyd, Kratos! how wonderful to see you!" They looked up to see Regal Bryant, President of the Lazereno Company, coming towards them, a huge smile on his face.

Regal no longer wore the shackles, keeping his promise to Alicia. He also wore his "Dandy" outfit, making him seem more formal than he had before. His hair, however, was the same as it always had been, long and wild, tied into a ponytail at the back.

Kratos and Lloyd stood, smiling, expecting a simple handshake form Regal. What he did, however, was grab them both in a big bear hug, driving the wind from them both. After setting them down, he watched, highly amused, as Lloyd ran his hands over his ribs, checking for damage. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

"Nearly two years, too long," said Kratos, placing a hand on Regal's shoulder, "It is great to see you as well. We would love to continue talking here, but..." he glanced around the room. "...We have a matter of importance that we need to discuss with you, privately."

Regal's face grew serious. He nodded, beckoning them over to the elevator. "Let's discuss what's on your minds in my office." Nodding, They followed Regal inside.

On the way up, Lloyd, remembering the letter that Genis had given him, turned to Regal. "Is Presea here?" he asked. Regal shook his head. "She left for a few weeks to participate in Ozette's reconstruction. she said that she was also going to visit Altessa to finally forgive him after all this time."

Lloyd remembered how the dwarf had involuntarily experimented on Presea and her sister with the Cruxis Crystals. He was happy that Presea had finally chosen to forgive him. _But this means I'm going to have to wait even longer to find out what Genis says in that letter!_ He thought, though he had a pretty good Idea what it would say.

He was brought back to reality as the door of the elevator opened, and they all stepped into Regal's office. There was a large mahogany desk in the middle, with a sofa for guests to sit on in comfort. Disregarding this, Kratos and Lloyd stayed standing, while Regal leaned on the front of his desk.

Regal looked from one to the other. "So, what's troubling you two?" he asked, a slightly concerned looked on his face. Kratos glanced at Lloyd, then began relating the event. "About two days ago, we were on our way towards Luin, when we were ambushed by a group of soldiers. They wore armor unique to anything even I have seen."

Lloyd took up the tale from there, missing the glare Kratos threw for interrupting him. " Apparently, their leader had wanted us captured, but we got away. We wanted to make sure no one else had been attacked, then try to figure out what we're up against."

Regal stood there, an apprehensive look on his face. Standing up, he walked behind his desk and started rummaging through a drawer. Taking out a piece of paper, he skimmed through it, until he found the part he was looking for. "Could you describe what the armor looked like?" he asked, looking up at them.

They looked at one another, puzzled by the strange question, then Kratos spoke. "Well, it consisted of a black breastplate and leg gear. They're weapons were similar to Yuan's, though they were also black with intricate patterns in red. The patterns were also repeated on the breastplate."

Regal reread the part that concerned him, then held the letter out to them. "This was sent to me six days ago from Zelos in Meltokio. He was also attacked by a group of soldiers, baring the same armor you described!" Lloyd snatched the letter and began reading it.

_Hey Regal,_

_What've you been up to, man? Haven't heard from you, or anyone, for that matter, for a while now. It's been really boring here, not having the Church around to reform. My hunnies still come and go, though even their undying adoration has gotten a little old. _

_Maybe it hasn't been all that boring, now that I think about it. A few nights ago, this group of funky-dressed fighters tried to ambush me. Can you believe that! Someone actually trying to attack the great Zelos Wilder? They were all wearing the same black armor, toting around these huge double-ended swords with weird red marks on them. They said that they're master person ordered my capture. Isn't that nice, someone goes so far outta their way just to meet me!_

_I put them through their paces, though, and sent them running like Lloyd to a meal, though not without getting my best vest ruined when one of them fell in a puddle. I'm might hafta have Sebastian look for a stain-remover's store in the area._

_I might be able to come see you guys in Altamira sometime soon. Say hi to Presea for me, and give a shot out to all the hunnies there!_

_Former Chosen,_

_Zelos Wilder_

_P.S. If, for some reason, those people that attacked me come looking for you, you might wanna let me know. It might be more serious than I thought. Then again, it could just be a hunch. _

Lloyd handed the letter to Kratos for him to read. He didn't really mind Zelos' wisecrack at him, though he'd probably get him back for it sometime. "I guess this is more serious than any of us thought," he said, a worried look an his face.

"Yes. I'll send messengers to each of our friends, warning them of the dangers. Hopefully, none of them are too busy to come here so we can discuss this a little more." Regal noticed how tired they both looked. "It's late, we can talk more tomorrow. Why don't you go on to your room and get some sleep, I'll come see you in the morning." Nodding graciously, they said their goodbyes and departed the building.

About two hours after midnight, Lloyd awoke to a funny sensation on the back of his neck. Looking around the dark room, he noticed, just like in the forest, how everything was too quiet. Looking over, he saw that Kratos was also awake, staring at the ceiling. He looked over at Lloyd, his eyes reflecting the same thoughts as Lloyd's.

Both of them had gone to sleep that night with their weapons close at hand, should anything happen. Slowly drawing the swords, so as not to make any noise, they pretended to still be asleep. Listening hard, they heard the squeak of leather on the floor of their room, and the light rattling of armor.

When it seemed that their "guests" were in range, they sprang up, swords drawn, to face the intruders. It was the same party they had encountered in the woods, once again led by KazanJian. There would be no words this time, though.

As the soldiers swarmed at them, they slashed out with their swords, slicing through the armor and into the soft skin beneath. Amid screams of pain and rage, Kratos saw Lloyd cast fireball at KazanJian. He smiled, proud he had done it right, then charged the captain, taking down anyone in his path. Not to be outdone, Kratos summoned angel feathers again, sending them right into the chests of the remaining soldiers. They fell with a thud onto the marble floor.

Finished, he faced the captain, who Lloyd had pinned against a wall, with the Flamberge to his throat to discourage any movement.

"nice to meet you again, KazanJian," Kratos said, "sorry that our last meeting ended so swiftly. Now that you're here, I'd like to ask you a few questions." The Captain spat at him, and Lloyd pressed a little harder with the sword.

"To start with, I'd like to know who your leader is, and why this person is so intent on capturing the heroes who reunited Symphonia," Kratos said, as though nothing had happened. KazanJian laughed, though it was strained due to Lloyd's sword at his throat.

"I'm surprised you don't know," he said, looking at Kratos, "for my master certainly knows you, and the others as well. He says that you took everything from him, and plans to pay you back full!" with that, he kicked Lloyd away, ran to the balcony, and flung himself over the ledge!

Kratos ran over to the balcony to see if he fell all the way, but he had vanished. Casting a disgusted look at the ground far below, he went over to Lloyd to see if he was ok. "I'll live," he grunted, "though I'll probably be in pain for a while. He must've had steel toe boots or something."

Nodding, Kratos turned to tie up the soldiers left behind. However, they, like their Captain, had vanished! Kratos looked high and low, but he couldn't find any trace of them.

"It looks like we won't be bothered again for a while," Lloyd said, standing up painfully. Kratos eyed him with concern. "Even so, I'll stay awake to make sure they don't surprise us again. You should get some sleep." Lloyd grunted his approval, and got into bed, wincing with pain.

Far away, in a remote mountain range, a mighty stone fortress loomed out of the swirling snow and fog. The stones were pitch black, and they stood nearly as tall as a man. This was the base of the Omkulei, warriors of the darkness.

High up, in the tallest tower, an obsidian throne stood in front of a projector. A tall man stood in front of it, watching as Kratos sat in a chair, ever observant to any sound. Being an angel, he didn't get tired as easily, so he would be able to stay up all night.

He didn't know that he was being watched… but he would know soon enough.

Ooh, I hate cliffhangers, except when I'm the one in charge. Who do you think the tall dude is? Haven't fully decided, so tell me whatcha think. Hope to get more to you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Wow…my first flamer. They kind of suck, don't they? Oh, well, what will be, will be. Sometimes, people won't like you or something about you. Ick, I'm beginning to sound like a philosopher. No more outta me. On with the show!

Syphonian freak: whoa! That went kind of fast! Thanks for reading my story. You'll just hafta wait and see who the bad guy is…

Vocalsama: I meant that I sounded corny, not you! Thanks again for the niceness! (is that a word?)

RoGuE-WhItE-DrAgOn: like the pen name! Thanks for reviewing. Was it really suspenseful? Cool!

Melody of Shadows: I agree completely! Cliffhangers are a good invention. I still haven't fully decided on the villain, but I think I've just about got it narrowed down…(all-knowing look on face)

Rowena Raven: I've never finished the whole devils arms thing, so I don't know much about Abyssion. Sorry to disappoint! Thanks for reviewing, though! (I've started a new file, and that'll be one of the things I'll do.)

Mooncannon: not a fan of Gesea, huh? Like I said, there'll be some couplings, but not much. Wait and see; I almost got the villain decided!

GoldenSunGeek: I don't get it either, It just suddenly popped into my head. Thanks for reviewing, glad you like it.

Jacco2008: I'm sorry if you don't like the game, but if you don't like it, then why'd you read my story? Think before you act!

Well, enough of the formalities. Here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does. Lucky!

Chapter 3

After staying in Altamira another day, they had decided that , instead of sending Regal's messengers, Lloyd and Kratos would go get Genis, Raine and Colette, while regal would track down the other three. After a brief departure (Lloyd being forced to rise early again), they went their separate ways to find their friends.

Two days later found Lloyd and Kratos camped out in a field, next to a small rocky outcrop. The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky with differing shades of yellow, red, and violet.

They sat in silence, listening to the sounds of the night animals as they stirred from their day-long slumbers. Lloyd was preparing a dinner of meat stew over a small fire, while Kratos studied the map they had brought along.

"Hmm… If I remember correctly, then Heimdall should be somewhere around here," he said, pointing to a spot east of Triet. Looking up from the dinner he was preparing, Lloyd glanced at the spot Kratos was pointing at. "how far away are we from there?" he asked, returning to stirring the stew.

After thinking for a while, Kratos pointed to a spot on the map Southwest of where Meltokio supposedly stood. "we should be somewhere near Palmacosta," he said, "We might be able to see if a boat can take us over to the Iselia continent."

After dinner, they sat around the fire, contentedly silent for a while. Looking around at the grassy vegetation, Lloyd noticed a forest off in the distance. He glanced at it, turned away, then did a double-take.

Even though it was far away, the faint glow of a fire could be seen coming from between the trees. "Hey, guys" he said, pointing to the spot, "look over there." Looking over, Kratos saw the distant flames as well. Drawing their weapons, they got up slowly and headed for the spot.

As they drew closer, they could see that a tent had been set up near the fire. It was a lot

bigger than either of them had ever seen. They couldn't see who owned the tent, so they guessed he or she was inside.

When they reached the outskirts of the campsite, they stopped and scoped the place for any signs of danger. Kratos, having seen none, was about to enter the firelight when he heard Lloyd laughing quietly. "What is so funny?" he asked, turning towards his son.

Lloyd could barely answer for laughing. "Do you notice, hahahahaha…do you notice anything special about that tent! Hahahahaha!"

Looking back at the tent, Kratos realized just how _pink_ the tent was. He was hard-pressed to not burst out laughing himself. "When did he learn to pitch a tent?" Lloyd said, chuckling while he spoke. Kratos smiled and walked into the firelight, followed by Lloyd, who by now had managed to control his mirth.

"Let's see if that trick you pulled on me will work here," said Lloyd, a evil glint in his eyes. Kratos nodded, and went about building up the fire. "someone may need to stop him from running out into the woods in panic," he said, a small smile on his face.

Inside the tent, Lloyd looked down on the former-chosen of Tethe'alla. Only his head stook out of the sleeping bag he was using. Zelos Wilder looked just the way he did during the journey, though his red hair was now down to his waist.

As he drew his sword, an Idea crossed Lloyd's mind, and he resheathed it. Leaning down so he was right next to Zelos' ear, he spoke in a soft voice. "Zelos, wake up. There's a whole bunch of girls in bikinis outside waiting for you."

ZOOOM! Zelos tore out of the sleeping bag, plowed through Lloyd, and literally dived out of the tent. "Come to me, my hunnies!" he yelled, before his face found dirt with a THUD.

Lloyd had fallen over from laughing. Even Kratos was chuckling as he helped up a bemused Zelos. "Are you… alright?" he asked, a smile spread across his face. Zelos looked around the campsite, hoping to see any sign of a hot girl in a two-piece. "Yeah, I guess so…" he turned to Lloyd, who was still lying on the ground, laughing. "Why didn't you just wake me up like a normal human being?" he asked, annoyed.

"What, and not have any fun?" Lloyd said, finally controlling his mirth enough for him to stand up. Zelos, in his traditional pink vest and white pants, sat down by the fire, muttering something about hoping a meteor would hit them all.

"So, what brings the chosen all the way out here?" Kratos said, leaning his back against a tree. He didn't really like sitting, it took too long to get into a battle stance. Zelos looked up from the fire.

"Well, I don't know if you knew this, but a little while ago, I was attacked by some…" he began, but was interrupted by Lloyd." Yeah, we know, Regal showed us the letter. We were also attacked by the same guys." He said.

Zelos looked surprised, but recovered quickly. "Oh, ok then, saves me the time to explain that. Anyway, I got a little worried when I didn't hear anythin', so I decided to go meet up with everyone."

Kratos and Lloyd exchanged glances, then Lloyd asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "really, you were gonna come meet up with us?" Zelos nodded, then he seemed to enter a daydream. "yeah. I was gonna start with Sheena, then go get Colette. From there, we'd go get Presea, then Raine and the brat… I mean, Genis." He looked up at them to see them shaking their heads.

_Figures he'd start with all the women in the group,_ Lloyd thought. While he explained what they were doing out here, Kratos silently crept behind the tree and out of sight from the camp.

As he took a short walk through the woods, he argued with himself. "she is just a friend, no one could replace Anna," he said aloud, swishing at the grass with his sword.

_Then why did your heart beat so much faster when he said her name?_

Kratos stopped for a minute to think of a reply, but none came. Finally, out of irritation, he swung his sword at a nearby bush. It sliced right through it, startling a fox that was using it for cover. As he watched the creature run off through the underbrush, the voice spoke again.

_All those nights you stayed up talking to her, you developed feelings for her. When she slept, you would stare at her, wishing you could be at her side, holding her, running your fingers through that long, silver hair… _

"leave me alone!" he said, softly but dripping with menace.

_Fine, I'll leave. But, you know, you'll never be rid of me until you find out how she feels._

He stood there a moment longer, contemplating what the voice had said. Then, he walked slowly back to the campsite, where he was able to slip in unnoticed. Lloyd and Zelos had evidently been deep in conversation about the armored soldiers, and hadn't even seen Kratos leave.

"…Well," said Lloyd, yawning wide, "We won't learn anything more until we see them again." He stood up, stretched, then looked at Kratos. "we need to go get our tent. We left it back there a ways."

Kratos nodded, then followed him towards their tent, while Zelos stumbled sleepily into his own.

Far away, in the tall tower in the remote mountains, the tall man sat in his throne, watching the figure of Kazanjian kneeling in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, he beckoned the captain to rise. "make your report," he said, in a bored voice.

"My lord," Kazanjian began, a bead of sweat running down his face, "my soldiers and I encountered Zelos wilder, Lloyd Irving and Kratos Aurion, but we weren't able to capture them. The chosen was almost beaten, but he managed to defeat us with the help of his butler. As for the other two , we ambushed them twice, but they detected us and beat us both times. Please forgive me, my lord." He finished, looking very scared.

The man gazed down at the quivering captain for a second, then stood up slowly. Walking down the set of stairs that led to his throne, he stood over Kazanjian, an unreadable expression on his face. Kazanjian braced himself, prepared for the worst.

After what seemed like an eternity, the tall man spoke. "I did not expect you to capture Lloyd and Kratos," he said, fingering the reddish-black medallion that always hung from his neck, "those two are much more powerful than you." Kazanjian swallowed, relieved to not be punished.

"However," said the man towering over him, causing him to freeze once more, "I had thought you more than capable to bring in the chosen." His voice was dripping with anger and disgust.

Raising his left hand, he watched as it began to glow red hot. Looking back down, he spoke, his voice working itself into a shout, "that's twice you've failed me now. The first time, I left you with a warning, one that you swore I would never have to fulfill. This time, however, I think I'll make the message a little more clear!" lunging down, he grabbed the captain's upper arm with his still-glowing left hand.

Kazanjian screamed as his master's hand burned through his arm, leaving a stump and a disembodied appendage as the aftermath. Turning away, he walked over to the projector, speaking as he went. "This time, I took your arm. The next time you fail me, I'll take much more. Go now, leave me in peace."

Eyes screwed up in pain, he bowed low to his master then stumbled out of the room, clutching his severed arm with his remaining one.

As he listened to the soldier exit the room, he switched on the projector and located the two tents in the small forest clearing. He watched for a while, then spoke to the form of Kratos, once again on sentry duty.

"Rest easy, Kratos. Soon, you will be begging me for forgiveness, begging me not send you to hell, the very place which I escaped, but death will not come. I will leave you, your son, all of them, I will make them suffer until death becomes a dream to them!"

wow, wasn't expecting that evil guy to be so violent. Tell me watcha think, ladies and germs… and, please, no flamers!


	4. Chapter 4

Aaahh… happy comments make me feel all warm inside! Thanks a lot to those who reviewed, they really help me out. Well, on with the show!

SUSPENSE LOVERS UNITE!

Vocalsama: yeah, you do have a weird sense of humor. Oh well, as long as you like the story, I'm happy. Thanks for the review!   
Melody of Shadow: got it right that time. You don't like Kraine? I think it makes the most sense: they both age slower than others, they're both really smart, etc., etc. glad I was able to make you laugh.   
Yamato795: thank you so much for pointing that out to me! As soon as I saw that, I changed It right away. Sorry if I confused you; regal was originally going to be with them, but then I changed the way it went. That aside, thanks for reviewing and approving my story! 

D.D.Z.: wow, thanks for putting my story on your favorites! That made me feel real good. Hope you saw what I wrote for your story.

GoldenSunGeek: Actually, this isn't my first fic. I interrupted my other story when I thought this one up (sorry "Through the Years" fans!) I wasn't actually going to have the bad guy be that violent, but it seemed to fit well with what I plan to do with this.

JACCO: Gee, thanks.

RavenGhost: …Toodles? Oh well, thanks for reviewing. I'm tryin to put a little action into each chapter, but no guarantees. Since I didn't put it in with the good guys part, I had to put it somewhere, and it works well there.

ATTENTION! The unveiling of the villain is finally here! The villain is…HA! Syke! You'll have to read to find out who he is. I'm not gonna tell you right here. (please don't hate me)

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does. Lucky!

When Zelos woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of steel clashing on steel. He listened for a moment, half asleep, and not quite sure what the yells and clanging meant. Then, remembering the soldiers that attacked him, he rushed to the tent-flap , sword drawn, ready to do battle with the soldiers.

When he finally extricated himself from the tent, it was to find Lloyd and Kratos engaged in a sparring match on the other side of the fire. They were well into it, with Kratos occasionally yelling advise to Lloyd. Their swords whistled through the air as they ducked, lunged, and parried each other's blows.

Realizing they were not in danger, Zelos rubbed his eyes and went to get some supplies for breakfast.

"You're skills have greatly improved," Kratos said, over a breakfast of scrambled eggs. Lloyd looked up from his dish, his mouth full of food. "With some more training, you'll be as good as me in no time." Lloyd swallowed the eggs in his mouth and smiled, the look of pride evident on his face.

Zelos laughed. "Hehe, but you'll never be good enough to beat me! I'm the great Zelos Wilder! No one can beat me!" Lloyd shot him a glare.

Kratos also looked at Zelos, his eyebrows raised. "is that so? Would you like to test that theory?" Zelos, ever the optimist, jumped up with sword drawn.

It was over in less than a minute. Zelos found himself pinned to the ground with Kratos' sword at his throat. Kratos smiled and helped him up. "Looks like you need more training, chosen."

As they packed up their supplies to continue their journey, Kratos had a quick word with them. "keep your weapons close. We might run into something that doesn't like talking things out." They both nodded and continued packing, glancing around at the outskirts of the campsite all the while.

As they traveled through the close-growing trees, they looked left and right over their shoulders. Every now and then, they would stop and listen, just to make sure that no one was following them.

After a while, in which nothing eventful happened, the younger element of the group relaxed. Lloyd started humming an old traveling song from Iselia, while Zelos daydreamed about pretty ladies. Only Kratos stayed alert, peering through the trees ahead, alongside, and behind.

Around midday, the stopped in a large clearing for lunch. While Lloyd and Zelos argued over who would cook what, Kratos scanned the outskirts of the clearing for anything suspicious. Zelos watched him while Lloyd heated up some ham.

"Is he always like that?" he asked Lloyd, indicating Kratos. Lloyd looked up at Zelos, then at his father. "Yeah. He said that when he was trying to stop the Kharlan war, there were bandits and thieves everywhere. You couldn't go for a day without being ambushed by them. So, he somehow trained himself to be always on the lookout for people lying in ambush."

Zelos thought about this for a second, then a thought came to his mind. "If that's so, then how come he didn't see those thugs that attacked us?"

"Because I couldn't sense their presence."

Zelos nearly jumped out of his skin as Kratos answered from behind him. They looked over at him, still scanning the tree line for enemies, as ha continued. "Normal thieves and bandits are too noisy to not be detected, but those soldiers weren't. That means that they either knew what they were doing, or could use dark magics that hid themselves."

He scowled. "Personally, I'm hoping the former holds truth in this situation. If they can use magic, then we'll have to be extra careful should we have to-"

He stopped dead in mid-sentence, squinting at something through the trees. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide, and he yelled out, "Get down! Now!" Lloyd and Zelos dropped, just in time.

Literally thousands of fireballs went whooshing by overhead. They came from all directions, landing on the opposite side of the clearing from which they came, causing a wall of fire to encircle the entire clearing.

When the overhead firestorm finally stopped, Lloyd, Kratos and Zelos sprang up, ready for combat. About a hundred mages had passed through the firestorm as if it were water, completely blocking off escape on all sides. They all had the same black robes on, with the same red patterns embroidered on them as the soldiers from a few days ago.

"Well, it seems my worst fears were just confirmed," Kratos said, never taking his eyes off the surrounding mages. They were closing in, decreasing both the distance they were from their targets and the time it would take to react to a spell.

Suddenly, the mages in front of them parted, and a tall man walked in between the parted ranks. He seemed no different from the others, but all three heroes could sense a much more powerful mana emanating from him. He walked forward until he was only a few yards away, then stood there, his face unreadable do to the hood he wore on his head.

After a few moments, in which no one had said anything, Lloyd grew impatient. Walking up to the tall hooded man, he looked right into is face and yelled, "Who the hell are you! If you're the one that sent those soldiers after us, you'll soon regret it!"

The man stayed silent, regarding Lloyd and the others. He seemed to just be standing there, but Kratos suddenly sensed the upwelling of mana emanating from him. Realizing what the spell would be, he shouted at Lloyd, "Look out! He's going to cast-"

"JUDGEMENT!" yelled the hooded man, raising his hands to the sky. The entire clearing suddenly darkened, and bright beams of light shot down from the heavens, coming down on the three trapped by the mages.

Lloyd and Kratos managed to dodge the beams, but Zelos was directly hit by one, causing him to fall to the ground, unconscious. Kratos looked over at him as Lloyd began administering first aid, then looked towards the tall man. "How is it that you know angelic powers!" he asked, his voice calm, as it normally was.

The man walked forward until he was directly in front of Kratos. He was silent for a moment, then reached into his robe. He pulled out a magnificent sword, embossed with blue and gold designs across the hilt and crosspiece. The blade, which looked as if it could make a clean slice through solid steel, was jet black.

Kratos stared at the blade, eyes wide with shock. He himself had once owned that sword, but the blade hadn't been black then. It had been his until he inherited the Flamberge from his grandfather. He had then given the sword to-

"It… It can't be…" he stammered, still eyeing the blade. The hooded man lifted the blade until it was pointed at Kratos' throat. "oh, it is…" he said, his voice full of malice, as he withdrew the hood from his head. Kratos gasped, taking a step backward.

"What's wrong?" said Mithos Yggdrassil, his eyes glittering with insane joy, "surprised to see your old pupil alive?" laughing, he released the cloak from around his neck and let it slide to the ground.

He was wearing the wide sleeved shirt and pants he wore the last time Kratos had seen him, except that they weren't white. Now, his outfit was almost entirely black with dark red trimming. Around his neck, he wore a reddish-black stone embedded in gold, hung from a gold chain.

"it's been nearly two years, hasn't it?" he asked, almost conversationally, "too long. I was beginning to lose hope of ever seeing you again. But now…" he raised his hand again, and a ball of black mana formed around it. "…Now that I've escaped the very flames of hell, I can finally achieve what I've been yearning to do all this time… AND KILL THOSE WHO KILLED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

The ball of mana shot forth, straight at Kratos. He dodged to the left, but didn't move quite fast enough. Pain lanced through his entire being as his arm was hit by the mana. In severe pain, Kratos fell to the ground, clutching his arm where it had been hit.

"DAD!" Lloyd charged Mithos, swords drawn, ready to kill Mithos again. As he swung his swords straight at Mithos' head, Mithos lifted his sword and deflected both Flamberge and Vorpal. Lloyd swung them the other way, only to find them blocked again. Furious, he leapt into the air, performing his "rising falcon" move.

Before he could connect, however, he was shot down by another ball of mana. He fell to the ground, his teeth clenched with pain. Mithos stood over him, his sword held aloft, ready to swing down on top of the defenseless youth in front of him.

"How fitting, isn't it Lloyd?" he said. "The son of Kratos, being killed by one he thought dead. I can't think of any better way. Farewell, Lloyd. Give my regards to your mother!"

He brought the sword crashing down, directed right at Lloyd's head!

I am so sorry to have to do this to you all, but I couldn't resist! The tension had built up so much that I wanted it to spill over into the next chapter.

Anyway, you all finally know who the villain is, and if you couldn't figure it out, you need to have your brain looked at. I'll get the next chapter out ASAP, so don't be too mad at me. Please review, they make my day!


	5. Chapter 5

Yay, happy times are back, I'm getting ideas! Sorry about the prolonged anxiety over the last chapter, but I was having trouble with how to continue. Now, however, my mind is buzzing with ideas, and I'm ready to share them with all of you!

Melody of Shadow: hehehe…please don't hate me. Sorry if the ending seemed rushed, I'll try to slow it down this time.

D.D.Z.: MWAHAHAHA! Feel the power that I possess! … Okay, that was weird. Allow me to ease your mind as to the fate of the trio.

GoldenSunGeek: that was a weird analogy, but effective all the same. Thanks for the review! Hope you're happy with today's work!

RavenGhost: Toodles again, huh? Oh well, to each his/her own. I was the most comfortable with Mithos back, that's why I chose him. Plus, he's awesome!

Katandshadow: not really gothic, he just uses dark magic now instead of light magic. His wardrobe had to change with his elemental type as well. Do you have an obsession with Drew Carey? Just wondering.

NOTE: "_when you see type like this, someone's thinking the words."_

Okay, enough of me babbling, it's time I got on to being liked again. Hope this will ease all your worries! Enjoy!

In another part of the forest, a lone traveler wandered between the trees. He didn't look in any direction, but kept his eyes fixed ahead, occasionally checking the tracker he was carrying. He was looking for an old friend.

He wasn't a very tall man, but he made up for his height with a well-trained body and mind. He had light blue hair, dark blue eyes, and slightly pointed ears, the sign of a half-elf. He wore a hard leather vest decorated with red, blue, and gold markings, and white pants. A long, black cape disguised the double-ended sword slung onto his back.

This was Yuan, one of the four Heroes of the Kharlan War, and Leader of the Renegades.

Yuan stopped again, looking down at the tracker. _"Let's see,"_ he thought, looking back up to scan the area in front of him, _"I should be in range to feel his mana signature."_ Putting the tracker back into his pocket, he tuned his senses to feel any fluxes of mana.

Suddenly, Yuan felt a large amount of mana welling up from directly behind him! "Stupid tracker!" he cursed, turning around and running for the mana. "I'll need to get that thing looked at when I get back to base." As he ran, he felt the temperature around rise abruptly, which meant to him only one thing: Fire.

After what seemed like ages, he stopped directly in front of a huge wall of flame, which seemed to be encircling a clearing. Yuan tried to see through it, but he couldn't discern anything. Clambering up into a nearby spruce tree, he immediately saw a cloaked figure directly under him, on the other side of the wall.

He had only one chance: Leaping down, he landed on top of the cloaked figure, knocking him out. Taking off his cape and confiscating the cloak from the unconscious mage, he draped the cloak over his own shoulders and covered the mage with his cape. After muttering some choice words, the cloak glowed blue and disappeared, hiding the prone form underneath.

Making sure the cloak hid his face and weapon, he looked up, and was taken aback at what he saw; a hundred mages were surrounding a small group of people. That wasn't what surprised him, though; it was whom they were surrounding; Lloyd and Kratos, accompanied by the ex-chosen of Tethe'alla, Zelos Wilder!

Moving quickly, so as not to attract attention to himself, Yuan caught up with the other mages and matched their speed. As they moved in, he guessed who it was that had rallied all these sorcerers under him: his old friend, Mithos.

"_And there he is now,"_ he thought, noticing a tall, cloaked man walking through the firewall. Yuan could feel the intense mana emanating from him. It seemed to draw all warmth from around the clearing, making it seem cold, despite the flames.

As Yuan watched, Mithos cast Judgment on Kratos, Lloyd and Zelos. The full force of one beam hit Zelos, knocking him out. When Kratos confronted Mithos about the spell, Mithos showed him the sword Kratos had given him.

Yuan's eyes narrowed. He remembered how Kratos had entrusted the sword to a much younger Mithos over 4,000 years ago, making him promise that he would only use it to help those less powerful than himself. Mithos had agreed, eyes shining brighter than the blade. Martel had never smiled so much in all her life; she was so proud of Mithos.

He watched, scowling, as Mithos shot Kratos with dark energy. Lloyd went ballistic, and charged Mithos with the material blades. Mithos blocked his attacks, and shot him down while he was in the midst of performing his "Rising Falcon" technique.

As Mithos stood over Lloyd's hunched form, ready to strike down on him with his sword, Yuan made his move: drawing his weapon in the blink of an eye, he rushed forward, just as Mithos brought his sword crashing towards Lloyd's head!

CLANG!

Lloyd opened one eye, surprised at the sharp noise just above him. He had expected to feel a sharp pain for a second, and then see his mother's face again. Yet, here he was, alive. Looking up, he saw a familiar blue haired man standing in front of him, his double-ended sword blocking Mithos' weapon. "Yuan!" he yelled, surprised.

Yuan was hard-pressed to stop Mithos' sword at slicing him through the middle. Looking over his shoulder, he grunted at Lloyd. "You and your father owe me one for this. Are you going to sit there and watch, or are you gonna lend a hand!" Lloyd looked puzzled for a moment, than the reality of Yuan's statement hit him.

Grabbing his swords from where they had hit the ground, He leapt into the air again, yelling as he did, "Yuan! Move!" Yuan jumped out of the way at the last minute, and Lloyd went crashing into Mithos, scoring several hits on the seraphim 's body as he dived through him.

Mithos grunted in pain, his hand on one of the wounds. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he glared at Yuan. "I wasn't expecting you to show up. How the hell did you find me!" Yuan smiled humorlessly. "Your mana signature. You should have realized that I would be able to find it: You made us train to be able to find you if you were away from the tower."

Glaring, Mithos wheeled around towards the mages, huddled behind him, unsure of what to do. "Retreat for now!" Mithos ordered, "We'll get them another day." Turning back to Lloyd and Yuan, he muttered a few choice words, and sent a wall of fire straight at them.

Yuan and Lloyd were forced to throw up Shields as the intense flames hit them. Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, the flames parted, revealing that Mithos and the mages had disappeared!

"Wh-where did they go!" Lloyd said, looking around the clearing. The wall of fire that had trapped them in had disappeared, leaving a ring of charred grass around the edge.

"They've retreated back to their base, for now." Yuan said, slinging his weapon back onto his back. Turning, he saw Kratos trying to wake up Zelos, who was still unconscious. Walking over, he watched as Kratos sent a wave of healing magic from his palms into Zelos' body.

Lloyd hurried over and knelt next to Zelos. Muttering a few words, he, too, sent a wave of healing magic into Zelos. Done with what he could do, he sat back and watched. Zelos lay still for a moment, than he groaned and opened his eyes. Looking around, he sat up and winced, rubbing his head.

"When did Lloyd learn healing magic?" Yuan asked Kratos, as Lloyd helped Zelos up. Kratos looked over at him. "I taught him since we've been on our journey together. He was slow at first, but he's picked up a few things. He's learned some of the angelic arts as well."

Yuan was slightly impressed, but didn't show it. Kratos seemed to sense it, though, because he smirked at him before turning towards Lloyd and Zelos. Zelos still seemed a bit leery on his feet, so Kratos suggested they find a place to rest for a while.

"That won't be necessary," Yuan said, "I've got two Rheiards hidden nearby, so we can go to the Renegade base to rest." Lloyd would have gone with that, but remembering why they were out in the forest, he stepped forward. "If it's okay with you, Yuan, could we go to Iselia instead?" He asked, "We intended to see if anyone else had been attacked."

Yuan Thought this over, then nodded. "Alright, we'll go to Iselia. I have Information that you three and Colette need to hear anyways." When he walked off without acknowledging their concerned looks, they set off after him. "Oh, one thing first." He said suddenly, and walked over to where the still unconscious mage was hidden.

"I managed to capture this one before saving you," Yuan said, donning his cape again. "I say we take him for questioning." Kratos nodded, and he and Lloyd carried the prisoner off in the direction Yuan was leading them.

Back in the castle in the mountains, Mithos was in a foul mood. Denying the healers attempts to administer to his wounds, he had gone straight up to his quarters in the tower. There, he sat in his chair, gazing down on the terrified mages that had accompanied him on the failed ambush.

"One hundred of my best-trained Magic users could not bring down three defenseless people," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. The mages huddled together, terrified. Mithos put his head into his hand, too angry to do much of anything at the moment. "You will each serve two weeks with no food or water. Now get out of my sight!"

They all scurried to the door, thankful to be alive. After seeing what their master could do, they knew their sentence was light.

Walking over to the projector, he tuned it until he could found the four travelers flying through the air. "Run, my friends," he said, an insane smile playing once again at his lips, "no matter how far you go, no matter where you hide, I will always find you. I will drag you down to hell and make you scream for death!"

Well, there you go! Lloyd and co. made it out of there safe. Thanks for reading, I hope you like it. Please review; they make the world go round!


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